By Ryan Morgan

A U.S. aerial refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced March 12.

CENTCOM, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said the crash of the KC-135 Stratotanker occurred in friendly airspace, and involved two aircraft.

According to CENTCOM, the loss of the aerial refueling aircraft was not the result of hostile fire or accidental friendly fire.

While the aerial refueling aircraft crashed, the second aircraft managed to land safely.

Rescue efforts are underway to locate and recover the crew of the downed KC-135.

“More information will be made available as the situation develops,” CENTCOM said. “We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members.”

CENTCOM did not specify how many crew members were aboard the downed KC-135. The aircraft are typically crewed by a pilot, co-pilot, and refueling boom operator, but may include additional flight crew members for navigational purposes.

The KC-135 crashed during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military campaign against the Iranian regime.

U.S. forces amassed numerous aerial refueling aircraft in the Middle East ahead of the attacks in Iran. These flying gas stations have played a crucial role in sustaining the high tempo of U.S. strikes over the past two weeks.

As of March 12, U.S. forces had attacked around 6,000 targets.

The downing of the KC-135 marks at least the fourth manned U.S. aircraft loss since the start of the war on Feb. 28.

Three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles were shot down over the airspace of Kuwait in an apparent friendly fire incident. A U.S. military source familiar with the matter told The Epoch Times that those three U.S. fighter jets were shot down by an allied Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet.

A U.S. military official has told The Epoch Times that around 10 more unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drones have also been shot down during the recent hostilities.

This is a breaking story and will be updated with additional details.